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With two months of the college basketball season under our belt, it's time to look at Sporting News' midseason All-Americans. It looks a fair bit different from our preseason take, but that's the beauty of it.

Why he’s here: The season has gotten a bit quiet for Smart since he declared his intentions to own 2013-14 with his overwhelming performance in a nonconference home victory over Memphis. Smart threw in 39 points and added five steals and four assists against the Tigers. It was not his only masterful performance—30 points against Purdue, plus 22 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists at West Virginia—but Smart hasn’t had quite the same stage lately. Don’t worry: OK State is scheduled for a nationally-televised Saturday afternoon visit to Kansas and Allen Fieldhouse this week.

Why he’s here: Johnson has been the best player on the best team in college basketball. He defends the other team’s best guard, takes over the point when starter T.J. McConnell needs a break, serves as a punishing finisher on the fast break and as an important deep shooting option for a team that lags a bit in that department. He has been at his best in most of the Wildcats’ biggest games: 23 points at San Diego State; 22 at UCLA; 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and defense that held Michigan star Nik Stauskas to 4-of-11 shooting. His experience and leadership have been essential to a young team with a freshman starter and a transfer point guard.

Why he’s here: A recent dip in production hasn’t diminished the amazing start to his college career. He leads the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Parker is a natural small forward who fits the college “stretch-4” prototype—a player who can rebound and defend as a power forward, but also make perimeter shots—but he has spent a lot of the time operating at center because the team lacks a big man coach Mike Krzyzewski trusts. Parker hit Kansas for 27 points in his second college game and got 22 against UCLA, but he began ACC play with a 5-of-20 3-point shooting slump. He remains among the most versatile and dynamic college players.

Why he’s here: Moving up to the Big East Conference hasn’t made much of a difference to McDermott, other than his scoring outbursts might be taken a bit more seriously. He hit Xavier for 35 points, and the Jays needed those points to win. He scored 30 on San Diego State’s excellent defense and has five 30-point games, including four against major opponents. He’s not racking up empty stats when Creighton plays low-majors. McDermott is on course to become one of the NCAA’s all-time career scoring leaders, with a shot at reaching the rarified air of the 3,000-point club by the Big East Tournament. If he can continue his production as he encounters more of the Big East’s best defenses, he will be difficult to beat as national player of the year.

Why he’s here: When Magic Johnson was the game’s preeminent star in the late 70s/early 80s, every player his size wanted to be the next Magic. Then Michael Jordan came along, and scoring became way cooler than passing. So Magic’s natural successors have been limited to Penny Hardaway in the 90s and, now, Anderson. Though he is not a great defender, Anderson impacts the game as a scorer, passer and, perhaps most amazingly, as a rebounder. He does spend some of his time at power forward and rebounds from there, but the majority of his time is spent running the Bruins’ offense. He produced a triple-double against Morehead State and eight double-doubles, including 17 points and 13-rebounds in a one-sided win over Arizona State.

Points: 16.4
Rebounds: 3.5
Assists: 4.6
Why he’s here: The conventional wisdom that a player can’t truly convert from a natural scorer to a point guard is being blown away nightly by Appling, who has been every bit the playmaker coach Tom Izzo insisted he become—and that he’ll need to if he is to have a serious future in the NBA. Appling is averaging a career-high 4.6 assists, a career low in turnovers per minute and a career-best 50 percent shooting from the field. He improved from a 32 percent 3-point shooter to 48.3 percent this season, a monumental leap. While many of the team’s most important players have struggled with injury, Appling has been a dependable contributor even when he’s taken a knock or two. His 20-point/6 rebound/7 assist effort against Ohio State defensive star Aaron Craft—which included a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime—is one of this season’s defining performances.

Why he’s here: His frequently destructive performances for the Wildcats, including a nearly one-man comeback attempt after the Cats fell far behind Michigan State back in November, do sometimes lead to wondering why Kentucky doesn’t rely on him more. However, he’s also experienced persistent cramping that removed him from games at key times, including nearly all of the second half against Louisville—so UK has had to learn to operate without him. Randle’s offensive output is almost entirely the result of his extraordinary physicality; even triple-teams can struggle to keep him from getting the shots he wants, and his soft touch most often results in successful attempts. Still, it’s odd to see a player with his gifts rank only third on his team in shots; if he can stay healthy and get steadier access to the ball, Randle could become the second UK freshman in three years to earn player of the year.

Why he’s here: Wiggins has had occasional issues with consistency, in part because the Jayhawks fed him a near-uninterrupted diet of high-level opponents. But he has been outstanding in so many of their biggest games, including a 17-point, 19-rebound gem at Iowa State, a 26-point, 11-rebound effort when many teammates struggled at Florida and a 22-point, 8-rebound conquest of Duke that included his request to handle the assignment of defending Jabari Parker. His wish was granted, and Wiggins did the job. So much was expected of Wiggins, and he has delivered on much of his promise, though he still needs to force fewer early 3-point attempts and to finish stronger at the rim. It once was common to suggest reliable sophomore Perry Ellis would be KU’s leading scorer, and it’s now in fashion to say center Joel Embiid is the team’s biggest talent. But Wiggins has been KU’s best.

Why he’s here: Although Smith is a less conventional playmaker than Keith Appling, he is another who is handling well the challenge of converting to the point. There are times when teammate Chris Jones advances the ball for the Cardinals, but it’s Smith who runs the offense the majority of the time—even though he IS the offense so frequently. Smith has taken 82 shots more than any teammate, 22 extra free throws and 21 more 3-pointers—and he also has 37 more assists than the next guy. He carries an exceptional burden, made greater by the departure of Final Four hero Chane Behanan from the UL frontcourt. Simply put, for Louisville to have any chance to be great, Smith must be first. Mostly, he has.

Why he’s here: Freshman point guard Tyler Ennis has been such a revelation that he’s siphoned much of the attention away from the typically excellent play Fair has been delivering. Fair is the leading scorer on an elite team that sometimes has gaps in its offense. He has not shrunk from a big game yet, delivering 20 points and 8 rebounds against North Carolina, 17 points and 6 rebounds against Villanova and averages of 18 points and 6.3 rebounds in consecutive Maui Invitational wins over Minnesota, California and Baylor, all of which have a chance to reach the NCAAs. You don’t win many awards for guarding your position and hitting 14-foot jump shots. But Fair got this one, such as it is.

Why he’s here: Early arrived on the national stage last spring when he helped lead the ninth-seeded Shockers into the Final Four; he had 21 against Pitt, 16 against Gonzaga, 12 against Ohio State and then 24 in Wichita State’s four-point semifinal loss to Louisville. This year, despite the weight of unprecedented expectations for the program, the Shockers remain undefeated. Anthony leads the team in scoring, and he’s just getting better; in his past eight games, he has three double-doubles and has scored at least 22 points four times.

Why he’s here: It’s not a stretch to say Gordon has been the best defensive player in the country. He has the size and strength to match up inside, and the quickness and athleticism to defend smaller opponents on the perimeter when necessary. And he does it all while staying out of foul trouble; he’s committed no more than two fouls in just four of Arizona’s 17 games this season. He’s a consistent double-digit scorer with a knack for momentum-encouraging alley-oop dunks off feeds from guards T.J. McConnell and Nick Johnson.

Why he’s here: Death, taxes and Aaron Craft playing lock-down perimeter defense; such is life in the state of Ohio. Some thought the new crackdown on handsy defenders would hamper Craft’s game, but he’s always been more about positioning and footwork than going for reach-in steals. And so, with very few exceptions, Craft is once again the only player drawing All-America consideration despite a scoring average under 10 points per game (it’s 9.1, btw). The Buckeyes’ greatest strength, again, is their ability to keep opponents from getting comfortable on offense, and Craft, again, leads that charge.

Why he’s here: Based on preseason expectations, Kane is the most surprising name on this list. He’s a transfer from Marshall who has done a little bit of everything for the Cyclones. Scratch that, a lot of everything for the Cyclones. He has four points/rebounds double-doubles and one points/assists double-double. Against then No. 7 Baylor, Kane had what might be the best individual performance for any player this season—30 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and five steals in a 15-point win for Iowa State.

Why he’s here: You could make the argument that Ennis has been the most consistent freshman standout in the country this year. You could make the argument that he’s been the best point guard in the country this year, for any grade level. Ennis has played 17 games this year—he’s averaging 33.2 minutes—and has committed more than two turnovers exactly once. Syracuse has played two ranked teams this year—Baylor and Villanova—when Ennis combined for zero turnovers in 77 minutes. You get the point. He can score (three games with at least 20 points, including 28 against California), create turnovers (nine games with at least three steals) and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.17 is third in the country.